Courses

The concept of liberal arts embodies certain fundamental goals, among them breadth, depth, independent thinking, and rational and humane self-determination. Denison’s curriculum provides the means by which these characteristics are deliberately nurtured in our students. Our commitment to a liberal arts education is expressed in the form of General, Major, and Elective requirements.

A comprehensive introductory course in modern standard Chinese through the four basic skills: aural comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. The two beginning courses will concentrate on correct pronunciation and the four tones as well as the basic grammatical patterns.

CHIN-112

Credit Hours:

4

Beginning Chinese II

A comprehensive introductory course in modern standard Chinese through the four basic skills: aural comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. The two beginning courses will concentrate on correct pronunciation and the four tones as well as the basic grammatical patterns.

CHIN-206

Credit Hours:

4

Dream and Fantasy in East Asian Literature

Through close analysis of some of the most important recurrent themes, this course will examine how the Chinese and Japanese literary traditions reinvent and revitalize themselves in their development. Students will also study the distinctive features of the major genres in the two traditions.

CHIN-211

Credit Hours:

4

Intermediate Chinese

Development of conversational skills. Comprehensive grammar will be the core of the course, along with further development of reading ability and more extensive oral practice. Prerequisite: 112.

CHIN-212

Credit Hours:

4

Intermediate Chinese II

Further development of fluency in conversation and in reading. Emphasis on the students' ability to write Chinese characters through composition exercises. Prerequisite: 211.

CHIN-299

Credit Hours:

1-4

Intermediate Topics in Chinese

A general category used only in the evaluation of transfer credit.

CHIN-305

Credit Hours:

4

Philosophical Taoism in Chinese Literature

This course examines a special group of Chinese texts that will not only enlighten, but also delight modern readers: ancient Taoist texts written in fascinating literary style, and a variety of literary works informed with Taoist spirit. No knowledge of Chinese is required. (Normally offered in the spring)

CHIN-311

Credit Hours:

4

Advanced Chinese

This course is designed for students who have completed two years of college-level Chinese and are ready to move on from the intermediate to the advanced level. Besides the topics provided by the textbook, students will also work on conversation topics drawn from newspaper articles and other media sources on social-cultural issues in China. By the end of the semester, students should be able to comprehend Chinese used in various contexts, to write short essays, and to discuss subject-oriented issues. Prerequisite: Chinese 212 or equivalent.

CHIN-312

Credit Hours:

4

Advanced Chinese

This course further develops students' basic skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) in mandarin Chinese. The emphasis is placed on vocabulary building and extended mastery of sentence structures of Modern Chinese through reading, writing, and related communicative activities. Prerequisite: Chinese 311 or equivalent.

CHIN-340

Credit Hours:

4

Chinese Cinema in English: A Cultural and Literary Study

With the aid of modern critical theories, students will study the most representative works of Chinese cinema since the mid-1980s. By analyzing the origins, themes and styles of the films, students can hope to have a better understanding of the main cultural and literary trends in contemporary China and of modern Chinese society in general. The course will be conducted in English.